Brent Council cracking down on rogue shisha cafes

Two shisha cafe owners in Willesden and Harlesden have already been hit with hefty fines for failing to comply with legal regulations.

Earlier this week, the owner of Extrovert Cofe in Willesden High Road was ordered to pay £1,975 for allowing smoking inside the venue and failing to correctly display business ownership details.

Brent Council prosecuted Sarah Sheikh Haj, of Colchester Road in Edgware, less than a fortnight after she was fined £1,000 for playing loud music late into the night. The landlord has now stepped in and repossessed the property.

The owner of Harlesden High Street shisha cafe Bladi, Mohamed Farah Abdi, of Ashbourne Parade in Ealing, also appeared before Willesden Magistrates Court on the same day on Tuesday January 24.

He was ordered to pay £2,100 in fines and costs after being convicted of being in possession of illegal tobacco products, allowing smoking inside the premises and failing to display warning signs or business ownership details.

Cllr Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said: “Let this serve as a warning to shisha café owners who are not in compliance with the law or local regulations. We will continue to take action and prosecute these venues until they comply, or close down.

“We are putting the safety and wellbeing of our residents first by cracking down on illegal shisha cafés, and are encouraging residents to come forward and let us know if an illegal shisha café is operating, and causing distress near them.”

There are currently a further 17 shisha cafes awaiting prosecution while three venues have been permanently closed down.